What did we learn from Clemson's win over Middle Tennessee?

Several ACC teams opened the season looking listless and unprepared. I'm talking to you NC State, Virginia, and Duke. Clemson looked just fine in surprisingly easy 37-14 victory over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

I went down to Death Valley to take in the game and here is what I think we learned about Clemson in this one.

Dabo Swinney made the right choice naming Kyle Parker the starting quarterback. Parker was an efficient 9-for-20 and 159 yards and two TDs. His completion total would have been a lot higher had his receivers not dropped several passes in the first half. Poor Willy Korn; in his first two series he had two turnovers. Simply put, he didn't look good.

In spite of running for 202 yards, I was not impressed with the Clemson offensive line. Most of those yards were gained late in the game. The Tigers struggled in short yardage, and Parker was flushed was from the pocket several times. One of Korn's turnovers was the result of a quarterback sack where he was creamed on the play. The offensive line s going to have to improve.

As I said earlier, the Clemson receivers played poorly. There were several dropped passes. Speedster Jacoby Ford was the lone bright spot. After shaking off some early shot he looked solid.

Now some positives. Do not kick the ball anywhere near Jacoby Ford or C.J. Spiller. Both returned kicks for TDs. I repeat do not kick the ball near these two. They are tremendous return men.

Clemson's defense under Kevin Steele looks tough, physical, athletic and fast. Any questions about Ricky Sapp were answered tonight. He moved well, and showed no signs of last year's ACL injury. DeAndre Mcdaniel and Brandon Maye had great games both totalling over 10 tackles. The Tiger's secondary had a solid day as well. Chris Chancellor had an interception, and Clemson had 3 interceptions.

Keep an eye on C.J. Spiller. He tweaked his hamstring. An injury that the Tigers are monitoring. Clemson officals say he should be ok. Backup RB Jamie Harper looked good though.

Overall I thought the Tigers played well. Kyle Parker looked comfortable as quarterback, and the defense is going to be one of the ACC's best. The offensive line needs to pick it up though. If Parker goes down, I'm not sure if Willy Korn is capable of leading the Tigers. I thought so before, but he really struggled tonight when he was in.